On primary day, the tale of warring hashtags

In primaries across the country, underdog candidates are taking to social media to try and stand out from the crowd or snag a few last minute votes.

In today’s headliner race in Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—whose own social media made headlines months ago—is expected to defeat tea party challenger Matt Bevin and his catchy #DitchMitch hashtag, but that’s not stopping Bevin from putting up a good fight online.

While most of the heavy hitters polling with a percentage of the vote stick to pretty straightforward get-out-the-vote, red-white-and-blue colored messaging, it’s the long-shot candidates who break out some of the most interesting tweets and posts.

Farther South, in Georgia’s crowded Republican primary to replace Sen. Saxby Chambliss, seven candidates are vying for votes in a primary that will almost likely result in a run-off. Three candidates are polling well and sticking to the predictable ‘thank you for your support’ tweets while one underdog candidate, Georgia Republican Derrick Grayson, who has dubbed himself “the Minister of Truth” (complete with a shorter hashtag for easy sharing, #TMOT), has an active social presence, despite the fact that it regularly repeats the same copy over and over again.

Earlier this month, Grayson came to rancher Cliven Bundy’s emphatic defense with a bizarre YouTube video. The video, like many others on his YouTube channel, was taped while Grayson is driving. The candidate alternates addressing the camera with watching the road. (#Multitasking?)

Up north in Pennsylvania, Democrats are facing off in a crowded primary in their quest to represent Pennsylvania’s 13th District.

State Sen. Daylin Leach—who was polling with just 7% last summer and has since been dropped from pollsters’ lists—has an unusual social strategy, one based almost entirely on his unusual sense of humor.

This AM @ Jenkintown Train Station. I was amusing commuters with the story of how I came to win 2 Nobel Peace Prizes. pic.twitter.com/6TtPXhSNrq

Also in Pennsylvania, Democrats are facing off to snag the party’s nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. State Treasurer Rob McCord is polling well below leader Tom Wolf, the York businessmen who sunk millions into his own campaign, but that hasn’t stopped McCord from using social media to highlight his sense of humor in attempts to encourage voters to turn out for him.